Sanctuary
by Nevian
Summary: She had heard of it, a long time ago; a place where the infection never strayed, a place where people could live, a place that wasn't crumbling into oblivion. A place of freedom. So she left, leaving her friends and the safety of familiarity. She went off on her own...and boy, what a story it's turning out to be.
1. Lightening Bolt

**Okay, so I noticed that one of the only canon ships in L4D has barely any fictions! I'm trying to remedy this with my very own version of what happens after the events of L4D2. It's going to be action-packed and ****suspenseful, but of course, there will be healthy doses of Zellis along the way! Please rate and review, because c'mon guys, I need to know if this is worth doing. Thank you so much! Enjoy! (I really enjoy killing things with words, another reason why I'm writing this...maybe you could take this as a warning for *ahem* _future _chapters...and characters...*dun dun duuuuuuun*) (and these chapters will be named after songs too, just because I think it sets the mood! The first chapter's name is this story's theme song.) (I like using parenthesis.) **

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**Ch. 1**

**Lightening Bolt**

Three days. She had been walking for_ three days_. Her calves ached and chaffed against one another, her toes felt like cramped little abbesses in her shoes, her spine screamed in defiance and doubled her over like a zombie and her stomach was so empty, she was surprised it hadn't imploded yet.

Why had she been walking for three days, you might ask? Well, it's tale of stupidity, stubbornness, and an inborn sense of nomadic restlessness that landed her in this sorry state...and she was in no mood to retell it.

The smell of asphalt was nauseating and a migraine was ripping its way across her senses like a tornado in a Kentucky trailer park; she was actually _shambling_ now. Vaguely, somewhere in the back of her mind where coherent thought still lived, she hoped no survivor would pop out and shoot her for a zombie. That would suck.

_Oh, wai_t, she realized dully, _there are no survivors...'cept me..._

False: Francis and Louis were still alive and kicking. Well, at least they were the last time she saw them, on the day she left...which was a huge mistake as Francis had lovingly forecasted.

Zoey wrinkled her nose, more than a little angry with herself but too exhausted to do anything except staggered forward a few more steps, trip over something that was more than likely her own foot, and fall against the hood of a sun-bleached pick-up truck. She sprawled for a moment before sliding off like a limp-noodle and pooling in the shade of its tire. Her jacket stuck to her like a second skin and lord, did it reek; she only realized this now as its collar rubbed up against her nose. With a groan, she shrugged it partially off, losing interest when it was hanging off her elbows.

Everything hurt and it hurt _so bad_. Why did she leave? Why was she out here? Whywhywhywhywhy!? A pitiful little whimper managed to crawl its way up her throat, as parched as it was, but died into a puff of foul air when her mouth opened. She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

So this was it then? She was going die on this baking stretch of highway in the middle of Nowhere, Louisiana and it was her hardheadedness that got her here._ Way to go, Zoey, nice use of the brain. Those two weeks of college spent holed up in your apartment were pretty helpful, huh?_ Her lip quivered and she realized she was crying, gently sobbing and hiccuping like a little girl.

She wanted to go home. She wanted her dad back and she wanted her mom back too (wow, she really must be dying). She wanted to hear Francis making jokes again and she wanted Louise to be okay. She wanted to stop hurting. She wanted these zombies to go away and she wanted even more that they never even existed. She wanted Bill to be alive.

Her chest heaved and a sudden tightness seized her body, holding it in a twisted arch off the pavement for a moment as her systems began to shut down. The sun no longer sparkled down on her but faded into a bleak looking gray orb on an equally gray backdrop. For a moment, she thought a shadow passed over head as goose bumps rose along her arms but the sky was clear and wide. She never really believed it, the whole "I'm cold, I'm so cold" act you see in movies all the time when someone is dying. It was so cheesy and fake. She shivered and felt a little tremor of anger ripple through her fingers. _This isn't a cheesy movie_.

Her brain was frazzled and short-circuiting, flip-flopping between emotions and broken thoughts like a light-switch. At least it distracted her from the fear of actually dying...Two years of surviving the zombie apocalypse and it ends like this. Another wave of disgust and she rolled on her side, holding herself in a shaky hug as it got harder to breathe. A bloody tinge crept into her vision, slowly mixing with the gray, turning it darker...and darker...and finally, black. She didn't hurt anymore.

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"Shh shh shh, it's alright darlin'. I got ya." Arms wrapped around her shoulders and waist, pulling her from the hot asphalt and up into the chest of someone wearing a sweaty t-shirt and dog-tags; they bumped against her head and a far-away memory of an old man drifted through the darkness. _What...what's going on?_ "Hey, Rob! Clear out the backseat, we got a passenger!" _Who's talking...?_ "Nah, she ain't infected!...Yes, I'm sure! Just do what I told ya, boy!...Okay, now I don't wanna hurt ya, but I'm gonna have to do some maneuverin' here." _That voice...it sounds so ...familiar...?_

There was a moment of confusion as whoever was holding her awkwardly stood, re-positioning her from resting comfortably in their lap to swinging between their arms bridal-style. Her head flopped and the black world wobbled, throwing her for a curve-ball. Another roll of nausea threatened to toss whatever was left of her stomach on the poor guy's shirt.

"Sorry," he (she decided it was in fact a man after several minutes of processing his speech) whispered contritely. Zoey felt like she should reply, but still didn't feel the urge to start up conversation, so she settled for leaning into the man's shoulder and nodding weakly. She could almost feel his smile.

"You havta be the luckiest girl on God's green Earth y'know that right?" They started walking, very carefully to her relief, in the same direction she'd been heading. The hand on her shoulder was holding something, and after a moment, she realized it must her jacket. That was sweet of him. Her lips twitched in a faint smile. "I must be pretty lucky myself, considerin'," he laughed and it was a nice sound, full of life and enthusiasm; it gave her a feeling of home. She wasn't so alone after all.

The man continued talking, obviously excited about something and giggling. "Of all the people, I find you. Now if that ain't fate, I don't know what is! Zoey, you just hang in there, I'm gonna fix you right up and whew doggy, are we gonna reminisce! Just hang on, and we'll get ya home."

The sounds of a car's engine reached them and the sudden smell of gasoline was nearly choking. They stopped, a little more abruptly than she would've liked, but whatever. Not like she could do much, besides twitch and moan.

"Rob, what d'you think yer doin'!? Don't use so much gas! Y'know we're on rations!... I swear, that boy is about as useless as a screen-door on a submarine. Alright, alright, it ain't that bad, we'll jus' tell Sarge one'a the other scouts didn't fill er' up after their shift. The back clear?"

Zoey wished she was awake enough to know what the heck was going on; who was Rob, who was Sarge, where were they taking her (if they where taking her anywhere, the still functioning paranoid part of her brain was entertaining the image of being dumped in a ditch with a bullet in her back), why did this guy's voice evoke old memories, did he know her (because she got the slightest hint that he knew her) and when would she be able to ask all these questions? But, try as she might, everything remained black and she could hardly keep herself in this state of half-awareness without pulling a muscle somewhere in her brain and keeling over for good.

The mystery guy whose arms she was currently occupying held some sort of station, she guessed that much. When he wasn't rambling on to her in an excited puppy sort of way, he was ordering around Rob with stern authority, and it carried some weight as she never heard Rob complain or sass. Other than that, all she knew was that he was male and had a thick southern accent that dug at her memories.

She heard a car door open and brush of cool air kissed her arm.

"Rob, get some water in her, I'm gonna go check for any more survivors. It ain't like her to travel alone," he said to the presence beside him. When he spoke next, it was right in her ear. "Okay, now I needa do some scoutin'. I'm jus' gonna leave ya right..." there was some jostling, but the man managed to get her into the back of what felt like another pick-up, "Here. There we go. You just rest, y'hear? I'll be back soon."

He hovered over her for a moment and she could feel his breath on her neck, the soft curl of hair that wasn't hers. It must have been her body kicking into survival mode or the realization of how desperate she was, but something in her panicked; she was utterly helpless and at the mercy of some unknown person who was on top of her.

What was he doing!? Then she heard the click of a seat belt and he was gone, closing the door gently and his footsteps disappearing down the road. _Oh_. Her heart rate, which she just noticed was frantic, evened out and the pain dulled now that she was lying on the well-worn cloth backseat and not tarmac. She couldn't make heads nor tails of the situation; these people seemed friendly enough, they promised to get her fixed up, and there was the fact that one of them apparently knew her, but then there was the fear of not knowing who they were or what they actually planned to do with her.

She still wasn't dead, amazingly. Her things were intact; Mystery Man had the decency of storing them at her feet and her jacket was now wrapped up in a bigger, coarse-spun cotton coat and tucked under her head.

_So he smelled it too_, she thought. _Ah well, it's better than nothing.._.

The passenger side door opened and a hand was on her cheek, holding it steady as the neck of a water bottle was pressed to her lips. Greedily, she latched on, sucking hard and long until the last drops of cool, blessed liquid disappeared and Rob was left with a vacuum-crushed bottle, which he replaced and she helped herself again.

This was repeated three times before he patted her forehead, said something about getting some sleep, and the door closed again.

It was silent now. Using the last of she strength, Zoey shimmied herself into a loose fetal position, tucking her knees against her stomach to feel it expand with life-giving air. It was comforting, knowing that, at least for now, she was still here. She hadn't died yet. With that, she let herself relax and drifted in and out sleep. Once, she heard the echo of the engine rumbling to life again and the willowy voices of men talking.

"I know...it's fate, man, I'm tellin ya...Zoey...she's an angel..."

And then, like a brick through a smoke-screen, it hit her.

_Ellis_!?

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**So anyone notice that the computer thinks Zoey's name is spelled wrong? Eh, well, she's too cool for spell-check. This took a ridiculous amount of effort to get on paper but got easier the further I went; hopefully it will be a breeze later on! I have awesome beta-readers, OnAMission being one (check out her stuff, it's amazing). Also, I really hate the layout of FanFiction; it makes three pages worth of writing look like a paragraph. *grumbles* That's just me. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it! Let me know if you did, or if you didn't. Until next time! -Nev**


	2. On Melancholy Hill

**Second chapter, yay. This is told from Ellis's POV as some chapters will be; it's a little irregular but I think it rounds out the story. Word of warning, this chapter hasn't been edited by a beta-reader yet though I did try my best to catch any mistakes. If you find any, please let me know and I'll be sure to swoop in and fix them! Another note; I said that the chapters would be named after fitting songs but I forgot to leave the artist of the first song. "Lightening Bolt" is by Jake Bugg. I also forgot to say that I DO NOT OWN LEFT 4 DEAD NOR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS. Valve, fortunately and unfortunately, owns everything. I hope you like this chapter, please rate and review if you do and even if you don't! I really love the criticism. Okay, the artist today is the Gorillaz. Enjoy!**

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**Ch. 2**

**On Melancholy Hill**

For the fifth time in an hour, he looked back. They were quick cursory glances, a brief twist to see over his shoulder and into the back seat, and then back again. The road stretched on, baking under a summer sun, crowded by rotting cars, leading them away from the cities. He flexed his fingers around the steering wheel. He worked his jaw. It wasn't a dream, he told himself repeatedly. It wasn't a dream or a hallucination, she wasn't a mirage, she was really here. He'd found her. His shoulders tensed as he fidgeted, wiggling around in his seat from all the pent up excitement. He'd found her, alone and on the verge of death, but he'd found her. Had he even been looking? Did it matter? Ellis fiddled with the bill of his cap, tugging at a hole on the edge and pushing it up, letting a few longer curls appear along his brow. Absently, he wondered how long it'd been since he cut it.

A dark shadow passed over head and he lowered his hand, leaning into the dashboard to see thick, purple waves of cloud rolling in from the south. He heard Rob mutter and threw him a sympathetic smile. The boy was deathly afraid of storms, poor thing.

"Mmm, looks like we got ourselves are bruiser. Ah, it's fine, nothing to worry 'bout, we'll jus' out run 'er."

Ellis reached over and clapped a hand on his shoulder, giving it a firm shake before nodding to the sky. Rob smiled weakly. "Thanks man," he said and Ellis waved to the back.

"Go ahead and climb on back there, I'm sure little miss thing won't mind if you catch a few z's with her. We got awhile to go."

"Dude, you sure? What if she wakes up?"

"Well, then you have some explaining to do, huh?"

This earned a laugh and Rob turned in his seat, peering over the headrest at her. He tilted his head to the side. "Maybe I can get her up here? I mean, I can lean the seat back for her and we switch places. It'd be more comfortable," he said with a shrug. Ellis snorted.

"And how d'you suppose you get her up here without causing a wreck?"

"It's not like she's heavy or anything, just take a little work."

"She's been through enough without your help, Bobby. You're liable to hurt 'er."

"Nah, man. Just watch me."

He unbuckled and clambered between the seats before Ellis could even argue. " Hey! Easy!"

Rob waved a hand at him to be quiet, slipping a hand under the sleeping girl's neck. "Man, I don't like this," Ellis mumbled.

"Chill out, I'm not gonna kill her."

"It's yer head if y'do."

He didn't respond, turning his back and rolling her into his arms.

"Slow down, will ya?"

"Yeah, yeah."

Ellis eased up on the gas, pressing down with his left foot as gently as he could without coming to a complete stop. While they were crawling along, he watched the two with eagle eyes. Something in his stomach knotted itself into a hard little ball of worry and envy as Rob shimmied and wriggled his way into a sitting position, flashing his partner a cheeky grin. He should be the one helping her.

"Toldya."

"Shuddup and get 'er settled."

He flipped up his armrest and scooted away as she was wormed into the passenger seat. Zoey flopped against the ratty cushion with an undignified _thump_, head lolling and hair coming loose out of her ponytail. "Shoot," Rob mumbled and fixed her. He gave Ellis a sheepish grin. "Sorry." Ellis narrowed his eyes.

After a few more minutes of adjusting, Zoey was reclined and Rob was curled up in the back, snoring quietly. Whatever excitement he'd been feeling earlier now exploded into a frantic, and irrational nervousness. She was right _there, _just inches away and in his peripheral vision. Well, he didn't have to crane his neck anymore...Wait, no, eyes on the road. He shook himself and yanked his hat down low, feeling the blood rising in his cheeks.

The sky was robed in angry boiling clouds now and fingers of lightening arced along its belly. A low rumble crashed in the distance. The first few fat drops of rain splattered against the windshield and he flicked the wipers on, watching their lazy sweeping arms with unusually keen interest. Rob made a noise in his sleep. A look of worry passed over his face and Ellis suddenly felt guilty. He'd been jealous just because he'd got to touch her and he didn't...how childish was that?

"Aw crap."

He hardly even knew the girl, hadn't talked to her in two years! And even then, back there on the bridge, they'd only exchanged a few words...but it didn't take much for him to be fumbling all over himself. His mama always said he'd fall hard, she never said how fast though. Slapping a hand over his face, he groaned. He couldn't handle all these emotions!

It was raining hard and thunder was booming all around. They were still a good hour or so away from home and getting stuck in this weather in the middle of swampland was out of the question; they hardly had enough gas for one trip and he hated to think about the dangers of being stuck out here for any extended period of time. Ellis worried his lip. They passed another cluster of cars, a few soaked zombies bobbling around in between and awkwardly running after them. As an after thought, he tossed a pipe-bomb out the window. No use leaving loose ends.

In the rear-view, he saw a crowd form and then... _**BOOM! **_Just as the bomb went off, a bone rattling clap of thunder echoed, sending shocks waves through his eardrums. He yelped and Rob sat bolt straight, clawing the headrest.

"It's alright!" He shouted over the roar of the rain. "Just a little-" Ellis swiveled his head to check on Rob, genuinely concerned for his friend, but as he turned and caught a glimpse of Zoey, staring at him, well that all went to dust.

"Zoey! You're awake!"

She blinked and swayed in her seat. "Yeah...sumthin' loud 'n scary...I...I'm up..." She pressed the heel of her hand into her eye. He quirked a strained smile.

"It was thunder, jus' a little thunder. Ah...y'sure you're all right? Maybe y'should jus' lie back down..."

"I...I know you! Yeah...I know you..."

Rob was taking deep gulps of air, clutching his heart and going through prayers like a sinner before the rapture. He reached back and patted his knee briefly.

"Uh, yeah, I know you know me," he said slowly. "I know you too."

"Yer that...that hillbilly guy from...werareya from agin?"

Her words slurred together and she stumbled over thoughts, holding her head. Ellis made a face. _That hillbilly guy? Okay, if that ain't a low blow to the ego. _

"It's Ellis...my name is Ellis. And you're Zoey."

"I know who I am!...Stupid..."

"Hey, El? Can we please pull over? Like now!?"

"Not the time, Rob."

The storm was turning into a monster, bashing them with violent winds and bullet-like rain endlessly; he could hardly see ten feet into the barrage. The tires squealed wetly and a suspicious clanking bumped around in the engine. _When it rains, it pours. _Ellis slowed, looking out all windows to try and see _anything, _all the while keeping an eye on his passengers. Zoey had her knees pulled tightly against her and was moaning softly, rubbing random spots on her scalp and Rob, poor Rob, was curled up behind the driver's seat, and probably catatonic. "My head huuuuurts," Zoey groaned.

"I know it does, that is why you need to lie down." He said through clenched teeth. There was a bright flash of lightening and both she and the boy withered. "Ellis!"

"Hold on, Rob! Zoey, listen to me, I found you in the middle of the road in the middle of the day in the middle of Louisiana and believe me, that makes me happier than a fool, but y'were 'bout dead! Heat exhaustion darlin', y'had it bad. Yer gonna hurt for awhile before we get ya home and we're almost there, jus' go back to sleep."

She gave him a bewildered look and went pale.

"Home...?"

"Oh lord, yes! C'mon on now, don't be difficult."

A particularly strong blast made the car swerve for a second. Rob's hand was on his shoulder, nails digging into his shirt. "Ellis, please pull over!" Zoey wiped her face and leaned into the cushion, still staring at him with foggy eyes. It might have been the light, but he thought he saw tears. "Ellis...Ellis, I'm scared..." she whispered.

Another boom, another crack, another howl. It was like the sky had been slashed by a blunt knife, dropping its body down to earth in traumatic throes. They swerved again, the road impossibly slick. The trees whipped and swirled overhead and water from the neighboring swamps came pouring in, slowing them even further. They were stuck, lord have mercy, they were stuck. Ellis yanked hard on the steering wheel and pulled off on the shoulder, panting from the storm outside and _inside _the car.

"Jesus Mary Joseph!"

He slammed his head back and grabbed his eyes. He felt Rob unlatch himself, wriggling into the little space between the front seats. "Thank you," he said so quietly, it took him a moment to catch it.

"No problem bud, jus'...haaaah, let's jus' chill out for a sec."

The rain was softer now that they had stopped but it was nowhere near lessened in strength. Somewhere off in the distance, he imagined he saw a darker shadow against the clouds, twisting and turning, but decided not to say anything about it. Rob shuffled his way back into the bench seat and Zoey was staring out the window. With a heavy sigh, Ellis slid down and closed his eyes. It was going to be a long night.

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**Uuuuuuugh ashgdldifhakebfqifeqgrf I hate this ending. I tried to write more and do something a little less cliched but if I kept re-writing it, I'd eventually kill it completely...so...here it is. I don't like it. *sigh* Oh well, I'll try harder next time. Updates might be a little spurratic, and I'm kinda known for being flaky; I apologize for that, it's something else I need to work on. A few ending notes: Rob originally wasn't going to have a large part but I've extended it just a little bit into a few more chapters. I don't exactly know symptoms of heat exhaustion, but I can pretty well explain a concussion and things of that sort, so just imagine being stranded in humid, sweltering heat without food or water and tripping over yourself. That's pretty much what she's going though. Ellis isn't going to be the jealous-type. I really don't see him being that way, a little protective maybe, but the episode he encountered earlier was brief and rarely will happen. So that's that! I hope you liked it! Please review, pretty please! Thanks so much, until next time. -Nev **


	3. Waves

**Hi guys! So let me start off by saying how sorry I am about not posting a new chapter in, what? Two months? Oh god, I'm so sorry. A lot of stuff has been happening but I'm back! I told you I was flaky... Sigh. Anyway, because I'm so late, this is a short chapter to tide over until the next! The song this time is Waves by Blondfire. I hope you enjoy this, I apologize for any spelling mistakes. Please comment and review! Thank you so much.**

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She snuggled deeper against the seat, clutching the jacket currently being used as a blanket tighter around her shoulders. The quiet patter of rain above her rocked through the wispy strand of consciousness she held onto, gently swaying her to the sound of nature. It felt good to lie here, unafraid if only for a little while. Zoey turned away from the window and watched him. It felt good to be safe and warm and in the presence of someone she knew. It felt so good...

After the little fiasco on the road and her sudden revival, a tension she hadn't even known existed broke and a lax, comfortable air filled the cab. Ellis was bent over the steering wheel, drifting in and out of sleep and Rob was sprawled in the back, staring up at the ceiling. They were so exhausted, all of them. If it weren't for the fear of the still looming darkness, she probably would've been lost in dreams by now. Zoey blinked slowly, and swallowed. This little respite was good enough, she told herself, just until they got to...wherever they were going. She thought about that for a moment. Ellis had called it home and seemed eager to get back. This guy Rob apparently lived there as well and they had a car! An actual, functioning car! With gas! That was something.

_Maybe it's some sort of evacuation camp. Maybe..._

An queasy feeling gripped her.

Zoey had never been a religious person, being more the kind to live from day to day without any set of beliefs, but in this moment, she prayed. It wasn't anything coherent, just the worried babblings of a sick girl, but what she kept saying, kept repeating over all the other wants and wishes, was to keep this streak of good luck going. Two years and she'd never felt so safe! It was a miracle to survive, to be found, and to find him!

_Please, please, please...please let it continue...just for a little while...give me something. _

Her hands wrapped themselves together and she felt tears crowd around her lashes. It was like she'd left her resolve back there on the highway and crying was the only thing she had left. She stifled a sob, burying her face in the coat. It smelled faintly of old cologne and grease... Two years... She'd hadn't seen him in two years...

_"...Do you think we should've gone with him?" She rubbed the back of her head, watching the Jimmy Gibb's and its crew disappear around a corner. Her lips twisted in a little frown and she turned to her friends. Louis simple shrugged, leaning around her briefly to watch them. Francis was cleaning his gun. "We're fine where we are," he muttered. _

_"Yeah, but we can't stay here forever. We're going to run out of supplies eventually."_

_"I don't think that's the last we'll see of him..." _

_Louis gave her a quick grin and limped back to a chair he'd pulled from the bar. "He's doesn't seem the kind to just die." Zoey laughed. "Did you see him? He was a killing machine! When he dropped his rifle and picked up that bat, that was savage!" They smiled at each other, revealing in the young man's victory. "Yeah, and that time he-"_

_"Good riddance. Little skirt-chasing hick." _

_There was a short pause as Francis stood, cocked his shotgun, and shoved past them. He ducked into the window left open to the balcony, but stopped and looked back. Zoey was glaring. "I heard what he was saying. We're in the middle of a freaking zombie apocalypse and he's howling over a girl on a bridge. Boys like that are trouble," he said and she swore, she saw her father. In a moment of childish anger, she snapped. _

_"And you aren't? Why don't you go get another beer and kick the juke box, Fonzy." _

_He frowned. Then he was gone._

_Louise shifted in his seat, fiddling with his cuff. He glanced up at her, watching her fuming face with a sad, worried expression. "He's looking out for you."_

_"I don't care. It's not like I was swooning for God's sake! They were the first survivors we've seen in _weeks_ and one just so happens to be a guy my age. Whoop-de-freaking-doo!" She turned back to the road. "We should've gone with them."_

After that, they'd built up a mini-fortress, just the three of them, and never left. Every few weeks, they'd make a supplies run, going further each time. They'd pick off the stray zombies that shambled in and lived life as best they could. Only once did another group of survivors blow through. Just a man and his wife...who turned out to be infected. They watched as she attacked him in the middle of the street. Not long after that, she left. She couldn't take it anymore. Two years of sitting and waiting; it was time to leave.

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**So what did you think? I'd love to know! Once again, I'm sorry for not posting. I'll try and be better! It's been awhile since I read over this so tell me if you liked the whole flash back scene and everything. Okie doke, until next time. You guys are awesome! -Nev**


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